Toy swapping
Toy swapping, in the context of toy collecting, refers to the practice of buying a new toy, opening the packaging, replacing the content with another toy (or something else entirely), then returning the packaging with the replaced content to the store and claiming the money back. In essence, this means getting a new toy for free while leaving the store with an older toy (or complete junk) that will most likely never sell. Some might consider this outright theft (because it is). The practice of toy swapping is not limited to the Transformers toylines, but is considered an easy way of getting new toys for "free" by fans from all kinds of different toylines. Obviously, this situation is anything but desirable.
Reasoning
Aside from people who simply find this an easy way to get a new toy without actually paying for it, some fans think they can get away with swapping out older toys in favor of "better" redecos; for example, buying Energon Galvatron and then returning the packaging with the original Megatron version of the mold. Those people usually argue that "it's basically the same toy, only in different colors." Another common excuse is that "Kids won't notice the difference anyways, nor would they care."
In some instances (such as the "Premium Series" lineup of improved, more movie-accurate redecos of some of the toys from the 2007 live-action Movie toyline), some fans even claim that Hasbro "screwed them over" by not releasing the redecos in the first place, thereby arguing that they were just taking what they felt entitled to anyways, so they swap it out with a regular movie toy for the Premium toy, or just swap the parts. The same happened again with the launch of the Revenge of the Fallen toy line, and people returning 2007 Movie toys in the packaging of their "improved" 2009 counterparts.
Some people are obscenely self-entitled douchebags.
Problem caused by toy swapping
The main problem of toy swapping is simple: children. Fans and collectors usually know what the toy they're looking for is supposed to look like, so they most likely won't pick up a swapped toy, unless they're not paying attention for whatever reason. Therefore, the most likely victims of this practice are parents who buy a toy for their kid. Imagine the look on a child's face when he gets Movie Leader Class Optimus Prime for his birthday, opens the packaging and finds an old, beat-up Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime inside.
And no, this is not funny. Really not.
Notable examples
Most collectors have come across one or more examples of toy swapping at one point or another. A few more egregious examples include the Alternators Dead End box containing a non-transforming black Dodge Viper convertible model car, sold on eBay as a "rare factory error variant" of Alternators Side Swipe,[1] as well as a Universe Razorclaw in an Animated Bulkhead box and a Universe Smokescreen in an Animated Voyager Class Starscream box at the same store. [2] Another report was of a non-transformable muscle car in Human Alliance Bumblebee packaging. [3] One of the most bizarre reports thus far was a painted piece of wood in a Transformers packaging.
Recently shown on 4chan is a Generations Red Alert in RTS Wheeljack packaging, and painted to look like Wheeljack.
Toy swapping in other countries
Interestingly enough, the only large-scale reports of such occurrences hail from North America (i.e. USA and Canada), with overly liberal store policies allowing people to return opened products to stores and claiming their money back usually being blamed. Also, stores like Walmart are often accused of not paying their employees enough to care for checking if they're being deceived, as it is their policy of always giving customers the benefit of the doubt, especially when the product's packaging includes a disclaimer saying "Product and colors may vary" (or, sometimes, "Color and contents may vary").
Meanwhile, reports from Australia, Asia or Europe, where stores either don't allow returning opened products, or if they do, usually give them a closer examination, are much scarcer, or even pretty much nonexistent.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ TFormers.com falling for the "black Alternators Side Swipe variant
- ↑ Allspark thread about various swapped toys.
- ↑ Allspark thread about a toy that is not Human Alliance Bumblebee.
- ↑ "Toy-swapping reaches Oz" thread at the Ozformers boards from April 2010, implying that the phenomenon is uncommon in Australia.
